Wire coating device



1942 E. JQ FLYNN v 2,269,150 WIRE COATING DEVICE Filed June 15, 1940 I r H 1, Inventor: Edward J lFl nn,

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the enamel applying Patented Jan. 6, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Edward J. Flynn, Schenectady,

General Electric Company,

New York N. Y., assignor to a corporation of Application June 15, 1940, Serial No.- 340,756 8 Claims. (Cl. 91 -49) This invention relates to apparatus for applying liquid coating compositions such as enamel, varnish, lacquer, etc., to metallic conductors, such as wire and the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple and inexpensive wire coating apparatus for applying a predetermined, uniform quantity of liquid coating material to a constantly moving wire characterized by the'fact that when the apparatus is not in operation the wire is easily and quickly removed from contact with the coating means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vertical wire coating device so constructed that the wire to be coated can be quickly inserted in the device or removed therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coating device to be used in a vertical wire coating apparatus, said device being so constructed and arranged as to provide positive means for carrying coating material from the source of supply to the wire and returning any excess liquid coating to the source of supply.

The novel features of my invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, will be understood more readily from reference to the following more detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein Fig. l is a somewhat schematic side elevational view of the vertical wire coating apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of my wire coating device; Fig. 3 is an (enlarged transverse sectional view thereof taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig 4 is a transverse fragmentary sectional view of one modification of the device shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

With reference tothe drawing, Fig. 1 shows a conventional vertical wire incorporating my improved coating device wherein a wire I coming from a payoff reel (not shown) passes under a guide sheave 2 through principal subject matter of the present invention, a die 4 adapted to remove excess coating material, and a-vertical bakingoven 5 provided with suitable heating means such as electric heating elements; From the oven 5 the baked enameled wire passes over a pulley 6 and from there either is again directed through' the coating device and oven to receive additional layers ofenamel or is taken up on a suitable takeup reel (not shown).

The wire coating device 3 is more fully shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as comprising a rotatable roller coating apparatus apparatus 3 forming the 'of rotating roller 1 provided with one or more circumferential grooves 8 through which wire I passes in its upward travel and from which it receives a predetermined quantity of coat ng material. The roller I is fixedly mounted on a shaft or axis 9 rot'atably supported on support In. Pulley ll, mounted on one end of the shaft and connected to a suitable source of power (not shown), provides rotational movement to the shaft and hence roller 1.

The roller 1 is mounted above sheave 2 in such a position that wire I passing in an upwardly direction from sheave 2, moves tangentially through grooves 8 of the roller. The clockwise rotation of roller 1, as shown in Fig. 3, applies a. quantity of enamel to the wire from a source of supply comprising a receptacle or container l2 fitted to theper iphery of the roller on the opposite side of the roller from the wire I.

In operating position, the container I2 is on substantially'the same I and in this position the roller cooperates with the container l2 to close at least partially the open side thereof to for a body of enamel by this arrangement in, the opening in the container to form an enamel reservoir,'the roller or at leastthat portion thereof lying below the surface of the body .of enamel i3, constitutes at least part of one side of th enamel reservoir. The edge of the open side of the container adjacent roller I closely fits the surface of l3. It will be seen that i As the ordinary wire enamels are rather viscous materials, they tend to cling to the grooves, 8

wire I.

The container I2 is pivotally mounted in any suitable manner on shaft 9 *for limited rotational movement about the shaft and is held in the substantially horizontal operating ,or coating position by any suitable locking devicev (not shown). When for' any reason the operation of theentire coating device is stopped, the container l2, loosely' mounted on the shaft, may be released from the latched horizontal position and dropped to a position below the plane of the roll er, as shown by the dotted lines of Fig; 3'. In this latter position, the container, having pivotally moved about the shaft 3 and roller I, conthe grooves 8.

the surface of the roller, alsolserves to catch any horizontal plane as roller form a. reservoir or enclosure which the roller closes the; roller leaving only thegrooves 8 through which the enamel canescape. K

I and are carried therein to I 6 bearing on enamel draining from the roller grooves. When the coating operation is resumed, the enamel container is again returned to its operating position where it feeds the enamel to the wire due to the rotation of the roller. It is obvious that when the container is in its lower position, passage of enamel through grooves 8 is effectively prevented.

The enamel container is also provided with a suitable enamel inlet I4 through which fresh enamel may be introduced and an outlet I5 positioned above the enamel inlet I I which outlet serves to prevent overflow of enamel from the container I2 both in the operating and the lowered positions. The outlet is connected through suitable flexible connections to a filter pump and other equipment ordinarily used in connection with such wire coating devices wherein waste enamel'is freed from air, dirt or other impurities so that it may be reintroduced into the coating device.

Advantageously, but not necessarily, my coating device may be provided with a doctor blade the surface of the roller 1. This doctor blade is suitably connected to the side of container I2 and is provided with a number of fingers I'I dipping into the grooves 8 and adapted to removeexcess enamel from these grooves. As many coating compositions, due to their high viscosity, may contain considerable entrapped air in the form of foam and the like due to the agitationof the enamel as it is applied to the wire by the roller 1 or as it returned from beneath die 4, it may be desirable that this foam be directed through outlet I5 to the filter wherein it can be broken up and any foreign particles such as dust, dirt or the like removed therefrom. The liquid portion of the excess enamel may be returned directly to the container I2 through openings I8 provided in the doctor blade for this purpose. It will be seen that by this arrangement the doctor blade I6 in bearing against the upper surface of roller 1 serves to close the container I2 except for the holes or openings I8. In applying many viscous coating compositions to wire, the fingers I1 are particularly useful -in that they remove small bubbles from the bottom of the grooves 8 which otherwise should be recirculated to the wire I thus preventing satisfactory coating of the wire as it passes through the die 4.

The die 4, which removes excess coating material from the freshly coated wire and provides a thin uniform layer of enamel on the wire, may advantageously, but not necessarily, be of the floating self-centering types described in my copending application, Serial No. 153,612, filed July 14, 1937, now Patent No. 2,238,687, and in the application of Adelbert Alexay, Serial No.

266,384, filed April 6, 1939, now Patent No. 2,238,575. With either type of die, excess coating material collecting below the die flows back Fig. 4 shows a modification of my coating device wherein the container is in the form of a trough 20 of rectangular cross-section having an open side closed by roller 2 I. In this modification, where the roller forms substantially all of one side of the reservoir comprising the roller and the container or trough and wherein the edge of the'opening of the container bears against the roller surface directly below the shaft, it may be desirable to provide a special wire contacting portion for contacting the wire and removing it from the roller groove I when the rectangular container is lowered to the non-coating dottedline position. A projecting member 22 aflixed to the trough will serve this purpose. Otherwise, the structural details of the coating device provided with a rectangular container are the same as those of the device having a container of circular or arcuate cross-section shown in Fig. 3. Other modifications within the scope of my invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

It' is to be understood that the above described device can be used in coating any wire with any type of liquid coating composition whether said composition is ultimately to be air dried or baked. Furthermore, the apparatus is not limited to any given size of wire and for every given groove dimension wires of a rather broad range ofdiamelimited rotation thereof about said roller.

. 2. An apparatus for coating wire comprising a receptacle for a liquid coating material, at least a portion of an open side of said receptacle being closed by a rotatable grooved roller in contact with said coating material and adapted to supply said coating material to a wire passing tangentially over said roller surface through said groove, said receptacle being pivotally mounted on said roller to permit rotation thereof about the axis of said roller to a position wherein said roller is out of contact with said coating material.

3. In a wire coating device provided with a roller adapted to coat a wire with a coating composition, a receptacle containing coating composition, said roller and receptacle being mounted on an axis, said roller being rotatable on movement of said axis to convey coating material from said receptacle to said wire, said receptacle being loosely mounted on said axis to permit movement thereof about said axis to a position in whichv said receptacle contacts the wire to disengage said wire from-said roller.

down along wire I until it reaches roller.'I where due to the clockwise rotational movement of roller 1, it is carried to the doctor blade I6 and then through outlet I5 or holes I8v to the enamel container I2.

When the coating apparatus is not in operation, that is, when it is in shown in Fig. 3, the die type, will move to the left to its dotted line position along with the wire I. On. the other hand, if the die chosen is of the slotted variety, wire I may be free to leave the die through the slot and will reenter the slot only when the container is again raised.

the dotted line position 4, if of the self-centering able rollerhaving 4. In a wire coating device provided with a roller adapted to coat a wire with a coating composition, a receptacle containing coating composition and provided with an axis, said roller being rotatable on-movement of said axis to convey coating material from said receptacle to said wire, said receptacle being loosely mounted on said axis and adapted to be pivotally moved on said axis to disengage said wire from said roller.

5. A wire coating device comprising a rotatcircumferential grooves thereopening, said opening being closed in--part by said roller, said roller and receptaclerbeing mounted on an inadaptedto receive a wire to be coated and a receptacle pivotally mounted on said roller and -having two limiting positions, a coating position in which said receptacle cooperates with said roller to form a reservoir for a coating material, and a non-coating position in which a portion of said receptacle contacts said wire to be coated to remove said wire from the grooves of said roller.

6. A wire coating apparatus comprising a circumferentially grooved roller for applying coating material to a vertically moving wire passing tangentially over the surface of said roller and within the grooves thereof, a receptacle mounted for movement about said roller surface and a coating die positioned above said roller and adapted to remove excess coating material from the wire, said receptacle having two limiting operating positions, a coating position in which the receptacle Supplies coating material to said roller and receives excess material draining from said roller and said die, and a non-coating position in which position said receptacle receives coating material draining from said rotating roller with,- V out supplying additional coating material to said roller, said receptacle being provided with wire contacting means for removing the wire from the grooves of said roller when said receptacle-,

is in the non-coating position.

'7. In a wire coating device, a rotatable roller provided with circumferential grooves adapted to receive a wire to be coated and a receptacle mounted for limited rotational movement about said roller to a coating position in which said receptacle cooperates with said roller to form a reservoir for a liquid coating material in which said roller is at least partially immersed, and to a non-coating position in which said coating material in said receptacle is out of contact with the surface of said roller and wherein said receptacle contacts said wire to remove said wire from contact with said roller.

8. In a wire coating device adapted to apply a liquid coating material to a vertically moving wire, in combination, a roller having circumferential grooves therein adapted to receive said vertically moving wire, said roller being adapted for rotational movement in the direction of said wire travel, a container pivotally mounted on the said roller in frictional engagement with the periphery thereof and adapted for rotational movement about said roller to two positions, a coating position in which said container and said roller together form a reservoir for a liquid coating material on the side of said roller opposite the vertically moving wire, and a noncoating position wherein a portion of said container contacts the wire to remove it from the grooves of said roller,'and means contacting said roller for removing excess coating material from the grooves of said roller.

, WARD J. FLYNN. 

